He was a central figure in the Liverpool management team that brought an impressive haul of trophies to the club, yet Phil Thompson accepts the final verdict on the Gerard Houllier era at Anfield would include the word 'failure'.
Winning the Premiership was the long-term aim of Houllier and his trusty assistant Thompson over the course of their six years at the helm, but such an ambitious goal never came close to becoming a reality.
On that basis alone, Thompson accepts they failed to deliver on their promise, but when presented with a negative obituary of a regime that brought so many high spots for Liverpool, Thompson is quick to present a lusty case for the defence.
Winning the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup (twice) and qualifying for the Champions League would represent stunning success for most clubs, but he accepts the demands at Liverpool are for so much more.
'Liverpool Football Club have to aim for the very top and we just fell short of getting there, but I would defend our achievements at the club to anyone who wants to criticise,' begins the coach who took over as Liverpool manager when Houllier was struck down by a heart condition in 2001.
'Some people like to think we made a right mess of things at the club, but that was not the case. We finished fourth in the Premiership last season and the only reason they are enjoying nights like they did against Olympiakos a few weeks back is because we achieved that finish last season.
'When people look back on the Gerard Houllier era at Anfield, it tends to be the last 12 months they reflect on and they say we failed. I would accept that things went wrong in the final year and it is hard to put a finger on where the problem lay, but we have no regrets about the work we put into that club. Liverpool has always been a massive part of my life and that has not changed just because I'm not working there any more.
'People tend to neglect the fact that we had some fantastic successes in the years before and won the League Cup against Manchester United not so long ago. No one will ever forget the Alaves games in the UEFA Cup Final and if you look at the statistics, we probably won more trophies than any English team during those last six years.
'We gave the supporters some fantastic days out in Cardiff and I hope people don't forget what Gerard Houllier did for the club. People say it was a bad time for the club, but it wasn't. Rafa Benitez did not walk into a disastrous situation at Liverpool, by any means.'
Houllier and Thompson were always said to be infuriated when the Liverpool legends who won so much for the club in the 1970s and 1980s criticised their work at the club, so it is ironic that the duo are now regulars in the commentary box for games featuring their former charges.
Thompson insists his observations on the current Liverpool side will be kept at a constructive level as Benitez tires to find a winning balance in his new-look side. 'It's very early days for Rafa Benitez and he has to be given time to get his feet under the table,' states the pundit who is now a regular on Sky Sports' Gillette Soccer Saturday show. 'That's why I try to be positive when I make assessments on his team and if there is criticism to be made, it will be constructive.
'There was a lot of talk that Gerard and I were upset by the comments of former Liverpool players when we were at the club, but it was never the case. Guys who have achieved so much for Liverpool Football Club in the past have earned the right to make comments on the present team and we never had a problem with them.
'It was how people went about doing the job of criticising that annoyed us at times. You don't have to batter people, be it players, managers or coaches to get your point across. Constructive criticism can often be useful and we welcomed it.
'Rafa Benitez needs to mould the club into his own style. It doesn't matter what Gerard and I did or didn't do at this stage because our time is over and it's up to Rafa and his staff to get this new Liverpool side back to the top.
'He has a great pedigree as a coach. Winning two La Liga titles with Valencia was a fantastic achievement and he also has a UEFA Cup triumph to his name, so Liverpool did a good job in securing his services. They could not have got a better man than Rafael Benitez to take over from Gerard.'
The form of club skipper Steven Gerrard has moved onto a new level since Benitez assumed control from Houllier and Thompson believes the kid he helped to develop from a raw talent into an international superstar is now the best of his kind in world football.
Like any Liverpool fan, he fears the offer to quit Anfield for pastures new will eventually see Gerrard leave the club, but he is urging the midfielder to give Rafa Benitez time.
'Stevie Gerrard was the dominant force of the team when we were there and he has gone on to confirm his class in the last few weeks,' he adds. 'Nothing he is doing now surprises me because I have seen him come through from a young boy into being the man he is today.
'I remember one of his first training sessions after I rejoined the club in November 1998. Stevie was doing a work out with a young lad called Stephen Wright and he did a six minute run, where we asked him to go flat out. He just didn't have the lungs to do it and was panting all over the place long before the end.
'So when I see him now, the driving force of the team for 90 minutes and beyond, it is a joy. Gerard Houllier nurtured him along and helped him to become the player he is today and to see a local lad doing as well as he has for Liverpool gives me a great sense of pride.
'I was as pleased as anyone when he decided to stay in the summer and I hope he know gives Rafael Benitez the time he needs to turn it around. You cannot stay in the summer and then say it is not going right in January, or even next summer.
'In another 18 months, we will know whether Rafa is getting it right and Stevie will still be young enough then to move on if he doesn't feel the club is moving in the right direction. If he left now and Liverpool starting winning trophies again, he would regret it.
'He is the best midfielder in Europe right now, without a doubt. He was not mentioned when the World Player of the Year awards were handed out a couple of weeks back, but that is because Liverpool had a tough 12 months. Barcelona have had a fantastic rise again and Ronaldinho has been the hub of that, so he was always going to be recognised for that.
'This time next year, it could be very different. If Liverpool continue to progress in the Champions League, Stevie could be in the mix for both the European and World Players of the Year awards next Christmas and that would be fitting for the lad. Don't forget, a Liverpool player won the European Footballer of the Year award back in 2001, so it shows anything is possible.'
Unless Liverpool are serious challengers for the Premiership title in the near future, it seems inevitable that life without Steven Gerrard will become a reality. His departure would be mourned for longer than that of Gerard Houllier
